Oceanographer & Geospatial Scientist | PhD Marine Sciences | Former Automation Engineer
As an automation engineer turned Marine Sciences scientist, I build end-to-end data pipelines for satellite remote sensing and develop ocean hydrodynamic/lagrangian models to study ecological connectivity.
- ML/DL framework for Sargassum detection: spectral library of 196,037 signatures, 5 classifiers (RF, KNN, XGBoost, MLP, 1D-CNN), all macro F1 > 0.976.
- Physics+ML Lagrangian drift model: Liu–Weisberg skill 0.533 → 0.827 (validated on 12 GPS drifters, NIOZ Weeds of Change expedition, RV Pelagia 2024).
- GMM partition of 10-variable ocean data cube → 10 oceanographic regimes governing sargassum biogeography.
- Kelp Forest Dynamics: Detecting Nereocystis luetkeana and Macrocystis pyrifera from Sentinel-2 imagery across the Northeast Pacific.
- Kelp Spore Dispersal Modeling: Simulating population connectivity using the FVCOM hydrodynamic model (unstructured mesh) paired with OpenDrift/OceanParcels Lagrangian particle tracking.
- Sargassum Detection: Classifying pelagic Sargassum in the Caribbean Sea and Equatorial Atlantic using machine learning pipelines on Aqua-MODIS, Sentinel-3 OLCI, Sentinel-2 MSI, and Landsat-8/9 OLI data.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17246345
- mCDR/MRV (marine carbon dioxide removal monitoring), kelp & sargassum remote sensing, Lagrangian connectivity, and ML calibration of ocean models
- Echevarría-Rubio, J.M., Martínez-Flores, G., Morales-Pérez, R.A. (2025). Machine and Deep Learning Framework for Sargassum Detection and Fractional Cover Estimation Using Multi-Sensor Satellite Imagery. Data, 10(11), 177. doi:10.3390/data10110177
- Mullan, S., ... Echevarría Rubio, J.M., ... (2025). Accessible Ocean Monitoring Technologies in Developing Countries: NF-POGO Global Scholar Perspectives on Low-Cost Solutions. The Journal of Ocean Technology. doi:10.48336/ktd4-k787
- Under review: ML velocity correction for Lagrangian Sargassum drift modelling (OpenDrift + OceanParcels cross-validation).
- Earth Observation: MODIS-Aqua, Sentinel-2 MSI, Sentinel-3 OLCI, Landsat-8/9 OLI, Ocean Color, Spectral Indices
- Machine Learning: XGBoost, Random Forest, KNN, 1D/2D-CNN, MLP
- Ocean Modeling: FVCOM, OpenDrift, OceanParcels, HYCOM, CMEMS, GLORYS12, ERA5, TPXO10, pyTMD
- Geospatial Processing: GRASS, GDAL/OGR, GeoPandas, Cartopy, Rasterio, OpenDroneMap
- PhD in Marine Sciences - CICIMAR-IPN, Mexico (2022–2026). Thesis: "Dynamics of pelagic sargassum and the environmental factors controlling its proliferation in the Equatorial Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea"
- Nippon Foundation-POGO Centre of Excellence Fellowship (2024–2025) - 10-month residential program, Memorial University + Hakai Institute + Dalhousie University
- MSc in Marine Resources Management - CICIMAR-IPN, Mexico (2022)
- BSc in Automation Engineering - CUJAE, Cuba (2015)
